Scarecrow Dementia
by Zapwing
Summary: Why should Jack have all the fun? Join MECH as they plunge Miko Nakadai down the bottomless chasm of insanity. Contains mature themes, violence, blood, language, and human death.
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, I am suffering from a bout of writer's block, unfortunately. So this means that you guys will have to wait a wee bit longer for my other stories to update. **

**But never fear! While I wait for inspiration to strike, you can enjoy this little thing I've cooked up for you!**

* * *

…

**Scarecrow Dementia **

…

The video was blurry; it had been taken with a mounted weapon camera. Images flashed by; gunfire, shouts, mechanical yells, the unmistakable sound of an energy weapon, more gunfire. There was that sleek, yellow one blindsiding a car, the big green heavy hitter actually picking up several mercifully empty vehicles, and crushing them with his bare hands, the small blue female expertly dodging and weaving, making small surgical strikes. Whoever had taken the video was immensely lucky not to have been killed in the process.

Leland 'Silas' Bishop stood in front of the wide screen, hands behind his back, face set in its usual impassive stare. The room was dark, and the large, widescreen threw his scars into sharper relief than usual. It was only when the video reached a certain point, did he actually react.

"Wait, stop right there."

The video snapped to a halt, on an image of two young children just about to enter a swirling green vortex. One was a sixteen-year old male, and he was desperately trying to raise the other child by her shoulders. The second child was a girl, Asian, with black hair colored with red streaks. She had just fallen unconscious.

"Rewind. Slowly."

The video backtracked, and for a minute, everything was moving backwards; bullets returned to their weapons, bent and twisted cars magically repaired themselves…

"There. Stop the feed."

The video halted once more, and Silas' eyes narrowed. The image on screen was once more that of the two children, except the girl was completely awake, and aware of her surroundings. She was about to leap in front of the boy, a scared but determined expression on her face, hands thrown to either side, in an effort to shield her friend.

"Play again. Slowly."

The video started up again, this time frame by frame. As the girl stood in front of the boy, a small, red hypodermic dart flew towards her, its metal casing glinting in the sunlight. Silas' jaw clenched, as the projectile pierced the girl's shirt, and her face contorted in pain. But she shook her head, plucked out the dart, and kept on moving. The green vortex appeared, crackling with energy, as the children ran. That was when she'd fainted, falling to the ground.

"Apparently, we have missed our intended target," said the unusually cultured voice. Silas flicked his eyes towards the rake-thin scientist by his side. He wore a billowing, crisp white lab coat, and he was masked, like all the rest, but his goggles were a clear orange. You could see his eyes behind the lenses, but the amber tint prevented Silas from determining their color. A very unusual addition to the standard uniform. But then again, Dr. Larraman was a very unusual man. Silas' brow furrowed, and his cold, grey eyes narrowed.

"Yes," he grudgingly admitted, "A waste of resources; Darby would have been a fine subject, considering how …unique he is. The girl, on the other hand…"

"You find her…undesirable?" said the doctor. He had his hands clasped in front of himself, his long, thin fingers somehow looking even more skeletal with the gloves on.

"No, I find her a liability," said Silas, "From what I can tell from the camera feed, she's a bit…chaotic …unstable." Silas squared his shoulders, and turned away from the screen. The lights flicked on, illuminating the pale, whitewashed room with their fluorescent glow. The screen blinked off. "Darby was the one I wanted. His affiliation to Prime, and the resourcefulness he displayed during our last encounter would have made him an excellent candidate for the Ares Program."

"Don't you think the young lady might be as eligible as well, considering her…unpredictability?" asked Larraman, head tilted to one side.

"No. I wanted Darby."

"You do realize what the Red Eye will do, don't you? Once they have fully assimilated themselves into her neural pathways…"

Silas nodded grimly. "She will come to us."

"You do realize she might have potential-"

"No."

Larraman sighed. "Very well; I won't argue. However, once she gets here…"

Silas fixed the doctor with his trademark stare. "She won't be of use to me; Darby will." He turned around and headed for the door. "Once she arrives, her visit will be for only a few seconds. I want her shot on sight."

* * *

"…_fortunate…wasn't injured…only a dart…"_

Miko's eyebrows creased, as the voices swam in her head. She'd been floating, drifting around in calm, dreamless ether, and she couldn't feel her body, or her limbs; just her own breathing and steady heartbeat. Her senses slowly returned to her, and she could feel the warmth of the sheets that covered her, hear the steady and soft whirr and click of machines, smell the sharp scent of antibiotics…

Miko slowly opened her eyes, and blinked, staring up at the bright light high above her head, so bright, it hurt her eyes, and she had to close them tight, and open them up again... _Damn_…

"…_be fine…resting now…was unconscious…"_

Ratchet…

That was Ratchet's voice…

Miko licked her lips and swallowed, trying to get rid of the horrible taste in her mouth, and the dryness in her throat, before she slowly lifted her head. A haze of blurry blobs swam before her eyes, before they resolved themselves into distinct shapes. A bank of monitors stood to one side, screens glowing, and a wheeled trolley stood on the other, carrying several bottles of what could only be disinfectants. A series of screens stood tall in front of her, their green light spilling over her body, displaying data and statistics on herself.

She was in the med-bay.

"She's awake! Thank God…" Miko heard the familiar slap of sneakers meeting the floor, and then felt the tell tale thuds of large pedes. Blinking away the haze of sleepiness, she made out Jack coming to her side. She felt his hands lightly supporting her shoulders, as he helped her sit up. "Miko, are you okay? How do you feel?"

Miko coughed. "Water…"

"Here you go," said Ratchet, as his servo came into view. A bottle of water was held between his massive digits. Grateful, Miko grabbed the bottle, tore off the cap, and guzzled the contents, the cool liquid seeping down her throat, not caring that a few droplets dribbled down her front. She felt Jack's fingers on her own, steadying her hand. "Careful; not so fast…"

Miko obliged, and drank more slowly, finishing the whole bottle in a matter of seconds. Gasping, she set down the empty plastic and wiped her mouth. "What the hell happened to me?" she croaked.

"You risked your own life, that's what happened," said Ratchet, gruffly. "As valiant as your decision was, you should have thought first, before acting…"

Miko nodded, absentmindedly. "What did they hit me with, anyway?"

"I haven't determined it yet," said Ratchet, as he stood up from his kneeling position. "Whatever it was, it simply knocked you unconscious. All indications say that the projectile was meant to simply incapacitate. But I've taken a blood sample, just in case." Miko raised an eyebrow, and held up her arms. There, right on top of the vein, in the crook of her elbow, was a small circular band-aid, the sort of thing a nurse would give you after a vaccine. The medic turned around to leave. "I advise you take some rest. No strenuous activity, no rambunctiousness, no tomfoolery." And with that, he left the med bay, the steady beat of his pedes fading.

Sighing, Miko laid her hands in her lap, just in time for her stomach to growl. "Hungry, huh?" asked Jack, grinning. "You're in luck; Raf and Bee are out getting pizza."

Miko perked up, her eyebrows shooting up her forehead. "Pizza, you say? With pineapples?"

"Yep."

"Oh, hell _yes_..."

Jack chuckled and stood up. "Well, I'd better go help Arcee with the munitions. You rest easy, okay?"

Miko sighed and leaned back, feeling grateful for the soft pillows. "Thanks, Jack, I will…"

"And…uhh…thanks…for taking the hit for me," said Jack, biting his lip. "I owe you one…or two…"

Miko smiled. "You're welcome, mister Darby…"

Jack smiled back and turned to leave, heading for the door. "Oh, and by the way, you should let your hair down more often." Miko blinked, somewhat confused, and reached up to feel her hair. It had been undone, the black-streaked-with-red tresses falling just past her shoulders.

_Oh, __**hell**__ no…_

She looked back at Jack just in time to see his grin. And his eyes arrested her. They gleamed somehow, with a hidden…what was it, what was that light, and why did it look so hungry? She couldn't tell. But whatever it was, it scared her. It scared her so much, she wanted to get away from those eyes, get far, far away, until she-

Jack left the room. Miko blinked again, and shook her head, eyes screwed shut. Now, what the hell had happened to her? Was she going mad? No, probably just a side effect of the drug, or tranquilizer, or whatever the hell MECH had shot her with…

Miko sighed and lay back, snuggling her face into the pillows, her thoughts slowly being invaded by images of hot, warm, and cheesy pizza.

_Mmm…_

_Pizza…_

_And eyes…lots and lots of eyes…_

* * *

**You know, there are a lot of fics where it's always Jack who is MECH's interest. And we all know what happens next: He becomes a badass, he becomes a cybertronian, he becomes a ninja, yadda yadda yadda... **

**While these stories are well done, there's always one consistent problem: It's always Jack, Jack, Jack. And it's getting quite boring, if I may say so. While I understand that Jack may be a firm favorite for most, he always overshadows the rest, especially Miko, for obvious reasons. **

**And I find this absolutely unfair.**

**So, here is my contribution to this sub-genre, with an obvious twist. And no, there is no human-cybertronian conversion; that's gotten quite dull, in my opinion, and we need a break from all that, don't you think?**

**Reviews are appreciated.**

**-Zapwing signing off.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yes! New chapter, finally! **

**And now... The HORROR! TIME TO BEGIN THE HORROR!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**…**

**Chapter 2**

**…**

The first thing that Miko noticed, when she strolled down the school corridor that morning, was how hungry she was. She frowned, as her stomach let out another protesting growl, and then fished out the nutrient bar she usually kept on her person. Seriously, she'd already had breakfast, so why was she starving all of a sudden? Miko tore off the bar's wrapping, and without preamble, tossed the whole thing into her mouth. It wasn't much, but it would stave off the hunger pangs until she could get something more substantial to munch on. And no, under no circumstances was she going to the school's cafeteria. She didn't have conclusive proof yet, but she was sure that the 'food' they served was probably the preserved remains of-

A sharp burst of pain shot through Miko's stomach like a searing hot blade. She doubled over, her hand clutching her gut, the other slamming into a locker for support. She felt a wave of nausea crawl up her chest, and bile rise in her throat. Everything seemed to suddenly blur before her eyes; outlines seemed to fuse together into messy blobs, the lights became an indefinite white, and everything was swaying around as if she was high on something. And then, just as fast as it had happened, her vision snapped back to normal.

Miko blinked the sweat from her eyes, as she took deep breaths. Thankfully, Bulkhead insisted that she reach school early, so the hallway was completely deserted. That was why Miko was able to duck into the girl's restroom without resistance, dump her backpack next to a sink, throw open a stall door, and then 'purge her tank', as Arcee had put it. After what felt like several minutes, Miko hit the flush with a pained groan. Her hands shook, there was cold sweat seeping down her forehead and her limbs suddenly felt weak.

_What the hell had just happened?_

A growl sounded from her stomach; she was still hungry.

* * *

Ratchet frowned at the screen. On the green hologram, was a series of charts and diagrams, which depicted various parts of Miko's bio-systems, taken before and after she was pierced by MECH's dart. Comparing the two, it was obvious that absolutely nothing had changed. For all intents and purposes, the chemical within the dart had been carefully constructed to incapacitate the victim. Ratchet of course, refused to believe it: MECH wouldn't go to all the trouble of making a single dart and then wasting it. There was more to this, and Ratchet intended to find out what.

The heavy beats of massive pedes announced the arrival of Bulkhead. The ex-Wrecker stretched, as he entered the bay, joints popping. "Well, I'm back," said Bulkhead, as he worked out the kinks in his transformation joints. He raised an optical brow when the medic's usual acerbic comment didn't arrive, and turned to find him engrossed in Miko's bio-data. "You're still…I thought you said Miko was okay…"

Ratchet scoffed. "Maybe she is now, but this is MECH we're talking about: nothing good ever comes from anything associated with those barbarians." He expanded a few images, and typed down a series of commands. "Unless I find evidence that points to the contrary, Miko might be in grave danger."

"Yeah, but-"

"Oh please! Just think about it! Why would MECH go to all that trouble to tranquilize a human, in the middle of a firefight, when their main priority is cybertronian biology?"

Bulkhead shifted from pede to pede. "Uhh…good point…"

"Exactly," said Ratchet.

* * *

She hated the eyes.

The teacher went on with her explanation, as usual, in a dull and heavy drone that was diminished to a quiet buzzing in Miko's head. Of course, Miko wasn't paying attention, like always, and she would usually distract herself either with a daydream or by scrawling pointless graffiti on her desk. But this time…

The teacher turned around momentarily, to explain a redundant point to the class, and her eyes swept the room as she did so. Miko felt her chest tighten, as the teacher's brown orbs briefly made contact with her own. And they were taunting her, looking into her, picking her apart. Her knuckles went white, as she gripped the edges of her desk. The cold sweat was on her forehead again. Her throat and lips were dry.

She wanted to get away from them, get away from all of this, just curl up into a ball and-

The teacher turned back to the board. The eyes were gone. Miko's grip slackened, and she let out a slow breath through her nose. Her hands still shook, however.

Beside her, trying not to look like he was staring was Jack, eyeing Miko with a worried frown.

Something was not right.

Not right at all.

* * *

Ratchet narrowed his optics in concentration, as he squeezed a minute drop of Miko's blood onto the microscope slide. Maybe taking a sample of Miko's bodily fluid may have been a tad superfluous, but Ratchet wasn't worried about what was necessary and what wasn't. Placing the slide in the preceptor-scope's accommodating groove, he peered through the eyepiece, adjusting the lens' resolution. A slew of red blood cells came into focus, a mass of red, oval shaped organic matter.

Ratchet's brow furrowed in confusion, when the scope's HUD pointed out an anomaly, something his scanners had missed. He tweaked the lenses, zeroing in on a section of the slide. As the blurry images became sharper again, Ratchet's lip components parted open. It was a dead and blackened red blood cell, diseased, and chipping away, pieces drifting off into the plasma of Miko's blood. And there, attached to the withered cell like a sickly growth, was…something.

He grabbed a Nano-grasp from his tool shelf, and turned back to the slide. Carefully, with trained and practiced servos, he maneuvered the Nano-grasp's jaws onto the microscopic object, and gently plucked it off the blood cell. As he did so, the cell disintegrated completely.

* * *

Bulkhead angled his rearview mirror towards Miko. He'd arrived to pick her up, just as always, and right on schedule. By some sort of miracle, she hadn't received a detention today, allowing her to scramble into the SUV earlier than usual. He'd said hello, but he had been surprised when Miko only grunted in response. Since then, she'd been silent as a grave, although she fidgeted constantly, as if trying to shy away from something. He'd tried to engage her in conversation a few times, but only received single-worded replies. Something was not right: Miko was always so chatty.

"Hey, Miko…"

No answer.

"Uhh…Ya know there's a new spot we can go dune-bashing on…"

No answer. Bulkhead sighed. "Okay, how about I play a song?"

* * *

"I'm worried, Arcee…"

Arcee's inset screen flickered. The two were riding beside Bulkhead and Bumblebee, down the usual route they took on Mondays. (They often changed routes every day, just in case they were being followed.) "Why? Did something happen?" said Arcee, her voice filtering through Jack's helmet.

"No, nothing major…It's just Miko…it's like she's sick or something…"

"How sick?"

"She was a lot quieter today. She's been sweating and her hands wouldn't stop shaking. Her skin was kind of clammy when I brushed against her hand during lunch…And she just couldn't eat anything…"

Arcee mulled over this. A quick search over the internet classified Miko's symptoms as somewhere between a common cold and food poisoning. But then again, there was MECH…

"Think we should get her to the Doc-Bot?"

"Yeah, I think we definitely should…"

* * *

Bulkhead felt his internal systems thrum and vibrate in tune to the music. It was their favorite track, the very first they'd listened to, and even after all this time, it still hadn't lost its luster. The song was approaching their favorite part, the one with the extra-hard guitar riff, when Miko moaned. "Turn it off."

Bulkhead flicked his rearview towards the girl. She lay back in the seat, one hand massaging her temple, eyes screwed shut. "Miko…you okay, girl?" he asked, worry and alarm shooting through his systems. A small told him that Miko was suffering from sort of headache.

"M'fine…just turn it off…"

"Uhh…okay…," said Bulkhead, halfheartedly. The music cut off. Miko sighed in relief, as she relaxed in the seat. It was over now; the pain in her head was gone.

* * *

Ratchet was still working by the time the kids rolled into base. His digits typed furiously at the console as, on screen, a three-dimensional image slowly loaded. His database had been unable to identify the foreign agent he'd found in Miko's blood, so he did another scan. And what was appearing on screen seemed to be confirming his suspicions. At that point, Bulkhead clomped into the bay. "Ratchet," he said, "You better take a look at Miko; she's-"

"I know," said Ratchet, as the image finished loading. "And I think I know what to do." The medic saved the image, and turned to face Bulkhead. "Where is she?"

Bulkhead shifted nervously. "She's in the bathroom right now. First place she headed to when we got here…"

* * *

Miko cupped the water in her hands, and without pausing, doused her face. She let out a small gasp as the cold droplets slid down her face and neck, sending shivers down her back. Gripping the sink tightly, she stared back at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her eyes…they were the only ones she could trust…She stared into them, staring long and hard, and she trusted them, implicitly. They were nice eyes, safe eyes, eyes she could rely on. She grabbed the towel off its rack, and dried her face and neck off. The headache briefly returned, but she pushed it away.

"Miko?"

She looked up from the sink, and her heart froze when she made contact with Jack's eyes. He stood in the door frame, eyeing Miko curiously. |_Predator|_

Her fists clenched the towel tightly. "Yes?" _the eyes the eyes the eyes_

Jack bit his lip. "You've been acting a little… strange, Miko."** |_What are you hiding from me|_**

"Oh…really…?" _the_ _eyes the eyes the eyes_

"Yeah…Are you sure you're feeling okay?" **|_What are you keeping from us. Tell us. Tell us everything|_**

Miko managed her best smile. "I'm fine, Jack, just a little woozy from what happened yesterday…" _the eyes the eyes the eyes_

"Are you sure…maybe you need to see Ratchet…" **|_Interrogation. Examination |_**

Miko felt her chest tighten. "What? Naw, I'm fine, really…," said Miko, waving her hands. She felt the cold sweat on her forehead again. Jack's face became stern. _The eyes the eyes the eyes_

"I don't think so…Come on over to the med bay; It won't take long…"** |_Pry you apart, gonna take a look inside…|_**

"I told you, I'm fine!" insisted Miko, her eyebrows creasing into a frown. Her fists, still holding the towel, clenched tightly. _the eyes the eyes the eyes_

"Maybe you think you are," said Jack, "But I don't think so…" **|_You're lying to us, Miko|_**

There was a steady thud-thud of two pairs of pedes. Ratchet and Bulk. Jack jabbed a thumb towards the main bay. "Come on, Miko, Ratchet's just out there…" He laughed good-naturedly. "It's not gonna hurt if that's what you're afraid of…" **|_Tear you open. Rip you open. Claw you open.|_**

Jack reached forward, and lightly took hold of Miko's hand. With a squeak she wrenched her fingers away. "Miko!" scolded Jack, "Stop being so stubborn; we're just trying to help!" **|_Take you apart. Break you apart. Pull you apart|_**

"And I keep telling you: Nothing's wrong!" Miko shot back, drawing away from Jack. The towel dropped to the floor, and her fists were balled at her sides. Jack sighed, annoyed. "Miko please, just listen to me!"

The pedes drew closer, and stopped right outside the bathroom door. "Miko, are you in there?" asked Ratchet's voice.

"Just come on over to the med bay, Miko," said Jack, coming closer. Miko backpedalled further, her back pressed against the wall. _The eyes the eyes the eyes_

"There's nothing wrong with me," hissed Miko. But Jack had had enough. With a last exasperated huff, he reached forward, and roughly grabbed her arm.

Miko snapped.

* * *

**I particularly enjoyed writing this little segment here. Next chapter will feature June, in all her kick-assery!**

**So, what are your thoughts on this chapter? Let me know in, you guessed it: The reviews section!**

**-This is Zapwing, signing off.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here it is, people; the new chapter!**

**Oh, and by the way, if you're not a fan of Jack getting beaten up, then I suggest you steel yourself. **

* * *

**…**

**Chapter 3**

**…**

With a blur, Miko's hand shot outwards, gripped Jack's hair tightly, and slammed his head into the bathroom wall. Jack gasped, as his skull slammed into the white tiles. His breath was knocked out of his lungs from the force of the blow, and stars winked in front of his eyes. He tried to orient himself, but Miko was already sending her petite fist into his nose. Blood blossomed, as Miko's knuckles connected with the soft nasal cartilage, and Jack was sent flying back, his head reeling, as he hit the bathroom floor, red droplets spilling onto the pristine tiles. He groaned, eyes screwed shut as he made to get up from the floor, when Miko's boot kicked him in the chest.

"Miko, what are you doing!" exclaimed Bulkhead. But Miko was having none of it. She scrambled out of the bathroom, darting between a startled Ratchet's legs, and narrowly dodging Bulkhead's servo with a dive-roll. Jack, having regained some semblance of his senses, stumbled out of the bathroom, a hand stemming his bleeding nose. "Miko, what the hell!" he yelled, in a nasally voice. But Miko wasn't listening; she'd scrambled up the stairs, and made a beeline for the elevator. Jack cursed, and followed, still clutching his face.

"Miko!" called Bulkhead, as he thundered toward the railing, unsure of how to approach her without damaging the platform.

"Stay away!" hissed Miko, "Just fucking stay away!" Her pupils were dilated, her eyes wide. She stood there, her back pressed against the stainless steel doors, her muscles tense, her fingers digging into the elevator's controls, like the claws of some wild animal. Jack swallowed, as he slowly walked across the platform. "Miko, just calm down!" he insisted, a hand held out in placation.

"No, get away from me! Keep your hands off me! I'll make you burn, I swear!" shouted Miko, as she frantically pressed the call button. Jack wiped his nose again, his mind racing. This was not like Miko at all; her hair had become disheveled, her eyes were manic, and if there was one thing Jack had learned about wild animals, it was that they were at their most dangerous when cornered. A steady beep-beep from the overhead counter told Jack that the elevator was approaching.

Ratchet, having gotten over his initial surprise, immediately hurried over to a console and typed a long stream of commands. "I've disabled the elevator!" he announced. Said elevator ground to a halt, and the counter shuddered to a stop. Miko, of course, was not happy. With an anguished howl, she pounced on the nearest victim: Jack. The boy was thrown backwards onto the floor once again, as Miko's fist connected with his chin, making him bite his tongue. Jack spat out the copper tasting liquid, just in time for Miko to straddle him and dig her fingers into his face. Jack grunted, as Miko's digits tightened around his cheeks and forehead, as if they were trying to pull them apart. He tried to prise them off, but Miko had somehow developed an unrelenting death grip. She looked down at him, with an expression of pure fury, her eyes wide, teeth bared, strands of her hair loosened and flopping around her face. "M-Miko! Stop!" choked Jack, as his fingers strained to loosen Miko's stranglehold. Miko did not relent; if anything, her grip was steadily getting stronger, and it was so painful…

A sleeved arm suddenly wrapped itself around Miko's neck, causing the girl to shriek. Her hands came up to try to claw and dislodge the limb, freeing Jack's face, and allowing him to scramble away. Struggling to his feet, Jack saw, to his astonishment, an enraged Miko being restrained by none other than June Darby. Miko roared and threw off June's arms. Without breaking stride, she lunged towards Jack. The boy backed away rapidly, only to feel the cold steel of the railing on his back. Miko leaped. Jack braced himself for the impact. Miko snarled as her fingers stretched out towards his face…

There was a cyan blur, as June tackled Miko, both women toppling to the ground in a roll. Jack could only watch, as the two wrestled on the ground, Miko hissing and snarling. The nurse grunted as she drew a hypodermic with her free hand, and plunged the needle into her forearm. Miko gasped, her head thrown back, as the drug took effect. Her hands stopped clawing at June's sweater, and soon her limbs became limp. Her eyes drooped, and her head lolled, as she fell into unconsciousness.

June sighed, as Miko became still in her arms. Jack was dumbfounded. "M-mom!"

The nurse's stern eyes snapped onto Jack's, and she jabbed a finger towards the large side door. "Med bay," she snapped. "_Now_. And I want Miko tied down. Securely!"

* * *

"So Miko took a possibly fatal hit for my son? Why wasn't I told about this?" asked June, her arms crossed, looking for the entire world like a parent reprimanding a naughty child. Optimus looked towards Ratchet, Bulkhead and the other Autobots, an optical brow raised. Bulkhead bowed his helm sheepishly. Arcee and Bumblebee shared a nervous glance. Ratchet looked away.

"…We forgot?" mumbled Jack, lamely. He was sitting on the human-scaled console's swivel chair, an ice pack held to his nose. Rafael coughed, rubbing the back of his head. June sighed exasperatedly. "Never mind," she said, shaking her head. "Just tell me what's wrong with her…"

"Have you diagnosed Miko's condition, Ratchet?" asked Optimus. The medic nodded, and swiveled a screen, the better for those present to see. "I have performed an extensive analysis on a foreign agent in Miko's blood. It isn't listed in my database, but it is still distinctly cybertronian in origin." On screen was a three dimensional render, of a sleek, segmented, eel-like…thing…with a round mouth on one end ringed by what could only be shearing and slicing mouthparts. "For those who have studied the basics of cybertronian bio-mechanics, the microbe's design might seem startlingly familiar."

Arcee blinked. "It looks a bit like a nanite; I remember, from that one class I had," said the femme. "But in this case it looks very different…"

"Wait, hold on," said Rafael, raising his hand, "What's a nanite?"

"They are microscopic bio-machines, a vital part of our biology," said Optimus, unfolding his arms from his chest. "You humans are made up of so called 'cells' are you not? Nanites function in a similar vein; you can call them our own 'cells', if you like."

"So your armor, weapons, everything," said Jack, "They're mad of these…things?" He pointed to the screen, where the render slowly revolved.

"Well, not exactly," said Arcee, "Our nanites are different. The one over here" -she gestured to the screen- "Has been modified."

June blinked, her thunderous frown disappearing. "Modified? In what way?"

"Here, let me show you," said Ratchet. He brought up another render alongside the first. It was another nanite, but this one was noticeably different from the first. It was stockier and somewhat benign looking, and there was a noticeable lack of cutting tools, or any distinct mouth. "This is one type of nanite, specifically designed to track down viruses, or any similar disease causing programs," said Ratchet, "Our version of a white blood cell, if you will. This one, from Miko's blood sample, has been repurposed for infiltration of an organic body."

* * *

Miko eyes snapped open, and she gasped, her back arching sharply. She barely registered that she was, once again, in the med bay, in the same berth. She was more preoccupied with the numbers and shapes that flew across her vision. Miko blinked, trying to clear her field of view, but the numbers wouldn't go away. They blinked and flew from left to right, a flurry of numericals and symbols reminiscent of a computer on boot. Miko's eyes darted, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

The numbers disappeared, and were replaced by a circular reticule, divided into quarters by two lines. Miko licked her lips, and flicked her eyes around the ceiling. The reticule followed her line of sight, like a set of crosshairs on a precision weapon.

Dear God, what was happening to her?

* * *

"Infiltration?" asked Jack, stunned. "Why?"

"Of that, I am not certain," said Ratchet. "My initial analysis suggests that they may try to augment certain aspects of Miko's physiology."

"Augmenting?" asked June, stunned, "What on Earth for?"

Arcee frowned. "Wait, hold on; I think I remember something like this back on Cybertronian underground, in the Kaonian ghettos." The others turned towards Arcee, and the femme shifted. "It was only a rumor, but I heard about this one mech, who knew another mech, who knew another mech, who heard about some sort of stimulation drug based on nanites."

"A drug?" asked June, her hands gripping the railing. Her face had gone an interesting pale color. Arcee shrugged. "I didn't really think about it much at first," said the femme, "But then, a century later, I started hearing stories of this mech called Dead-End, a stunticon, they said. Turns out he had the drug, and went ballistic; tore through a whole platoon of Wreckers once, with his bare servos."

Bulkhead growled. "Now I remember! I heard he was the one who took out Rotorstorm and Pyro!"

"Well, that's all very informative," growled Jack, "But this drug; is it…addictive?"

"Addictive? Definitely not, when it comes to human physiology," said Ratchet, "But it appears this iteration of nanites were designed to be permanently bonded to Miko."

"So it's not addicting," sighed June, relieved. "Is there any way to remove them?"

* * *

Miko took in a deep breath and looked around the med bay. Her newfound heads-up-display began displaying stress levels, stamina, and heartbeat rate. She made to sit up, but found her wrists bound to the berth. With a grunt, she looked down, and found toughened black straps securing her wrists to the edge of the berth. Panic shot through her, as she looked around the bay desperately. They tied her down! They were really going to tear into her, expose everything, her secrets, her wants and needs, everything for the whole world to see.

She had to get out of here. She had to get away from their eyes.

**Objective: Proceed to Coordinates.**

Miko blinked. Coordinates? What was it talking about? Was it trying to make her go somewhere? She swallowed hard and tried to make sense of the situation. If she stayed here, she would be torn to pieces. If she followed the directions…well, she didn't know, but it probably wouldn't be as good. But her eyes were trying to help her, weren't they? Wherever they were leading her, it would be far away from them, and far away from anyone trying to pry her to pieces. Miko set her jaw. She would follow her eyes to safety. She trusted her eyes. But first she'd have to remove these bindings.

She grunted as she strained against the straps, the tough material digging into her skin. There was a loud ripping sound, as one arm came free. With a squeak of elation, she focused on the other, her fingers scrabbling at the strap, her muscles straining. That too was torn loose, allowing Miko to leap from the berth. She trotted towards the door, and edged it open. Her breath hitched as she took in the scene.

Everyone was in the med bay; Optimus, Ratchet, Bulkhead, everyone, looking at what seemed like schematics of herself. She swallowed, and frantically looked around for an escape route. Her HUD helped somewhat, by tagging the occupants of the room and marking their distance from where she stood. It was like her very own personal radar. On a whim, she removed her boots, leaving only her leggings, and set them aside; the less noise she made the better. Silently, she padded out of the room, and into the med bay. The 'Bot's backs were turned to her, as were June, Jack and Raf's. Bulkhead's massive frame shielded Bumblebee and Arcee from her view, and the way the group was huddled together, meant that Ratchet wouldn't be able to see her.

The tension was ripe as she walked across the large med bay. It was common practice to associate sneaking away with lots of hiding and ducking around objects, and it felt almost frightening to simply stroll out under the noses of the 'Bots. Thankfully, they were too engrossed with listening to what Ratchet had to say, so they didn't even so much as blink in her direction.

"Augmenting? What on Earth for?"

Miko froze in place, her heart thudding in her chest. She slowly turned her head to look at the others, but they still hadn't taken note of her. Sighing softly, through her nose, she slunk the rest of the way, and soon, she was past the massive doors of the med bay. She proceeded a few more feet, before she broke into a run down the corridor, her heart still beating a mile a minute.

* * *

"Remove the nanites? I'm afraid I can't. Not without knowing what side effects could occur."

"I agree," said Optimus, "We do not know for certain if MECH has placed contingencies in the event of the nanites' forced removal."

Jack sighed in uncharacteristic frustration. "So what do we do then?" he said, heatedly, "Go right up to MECH's doorstep and just say 'Hey, our friend is slowly turning insane thanks to your microscopic death engines. Could you please help us?'" Rafael scratched the back of his head as June shot her son a heated glare. Bumblebee, however leaned towards the hacker, and said, _/That's a good idea; why don't we? /_

Optimus paused, noticing Jack's elevated heart rate: the boy was anxious and stressed. "That is not one of our strategies. However, the nanites are partly cybertronian in nature. It might be possible to-"

A ping sounded from one of the main screens. Ratchet swore as he glanced at the notification, and pushing past Bumblebee and Arcee, he thundered out of the med bay, Optimus in tow. "She's using the Ground Bridge!"

Bulkhead threw his optics towards the direction of the room Miko was held in, and he too uttered a curse when he saw the door was ajar. Not wasting time, he took off after Ratchet, Bumblebee and Arcee not far behind. Jack grunted as he lifted himself off the swivel chair, ice pack still held to his nose, but was pushed back down by June's hand.

"Stay," said the nurse, sternly, before she left Jack's side and sprinted down the stairs, her sweater flying behind her. She dashed down the corridor, and rounded the corner, skidding to a stop, just in time to see the Ground Bridge vortex wink out.

They had been too late.

* * *

Miko gasped as she fell to her hands and knees, steely cold raindrops tumbling from the sky, soaking her clothes, and seeping down her neck, her back, and her face, the mud soaking her hands and feet. She heard the Ground Bridge fizzle shut behind her, and she threw her head back, not caring that the freezing rain pooled into her eyes, a relieved and lopsided grin on her face, as she gaze dup at the stormy grey clouds above her, as if appraising a holy diety.

She was free.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed that, folks!**

**Next chapter will feature MECH in all their dickish glory.**

**-This is Zapwing, signing off. **


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